Thursday, July 06, 2006

INCREASE IN WILDFIRES MAY BE RESULT OF GLOBAL WARMING

Ya think?

Researchers Say Increasing Wildfires May Be Result of Global Warning, Researchers Say

A California Department of Forestry air-tanker drop retardant on wild fire on north side of Lake Don Pedro, near La Grange, Calif., Monday, July 3, 2006. The Pedro fire has already burned 500 acres at this time. (AP Photo/Al Golub)

WASHINGTON Jul 6, 2006 (AP)— The increase in the number of large western wildfires in recent years may be a result of global warming, researchers say.

An analysis of data going back to 1970 indicates the fires increased "suddenly and dramatically" in the 1980s and the wildfire season grew longer, according to scientists in Arizona and California.

"The increase in large wildfires appears to be another part of a chain of reactions to climate warming," said Dan Cayan, a co-author of the paper and director of the climate research division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

He said that while part of the increase may be attributed to natural fluctuations, evidence also links it to the effects of human-induced climate warming.